Former Nursing Home Caregiver Goes to Jail for Financial Elder Abuse
A former nursing home worker has been sentenced to six months in jail and three years probation for financial elder abuse. Ramil Panlaqui had pleaded no contest to three felony counts of financial elder abuse.
The 42-year-old former nursing home caregiver worked at Atherton Healthcare, where he allegedly stole checkbooks from two elderly residents, ages 88 and 75. Prosecutors say Panlaqui took approximately $4,000 from his victims. Another check from a third victim was found after the former caregiver was arrested. As part of Panlaqui's sentencing, a judge has ordered him to return the money he stole from the victims’ accounts to Bank of America and Wells Fargo.
Financial Elder Abuse
Financial elder abuse involves the financial exploitation of an elderly person. Some examples of financial elder abuse:
• Stealing the elderly person’s money
• Forgery
• Preventing the victim from having access to his or her money
• Coercing or forcing an elderly person to sign a Power of Attorney
• Making changes to an elderly person’s will without their consent or by unethical persuasion
• Extortion
Some Possible Signs of Financial Elder Abuse:
• Unusual bank account activity
• Sudden revisions to the elderly person’s will
• Unexplained ATM withdrawals
• New investments that are made even though the elderly person is too sick or incapacitated to make such decisions
• Bounced checks that should have been easily paid from the victim's funds.
Unfortunately, financial elder abuse is an all too common form of nursing home abuse that occurs in US long-term care facilities.
Pacifica man gets 6 months in jail for embezzling from nursing home residents, San Mateo County Times, February 2, 2009
Related Web Resource:
Financial Elder Abuse, National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse
In Illinois, Contact Chicago Financial Elder Abuse Attorney Steve Malman to discuss your case.
